Craig Daily Press / Away from home

Archive for Friday, February 15, 2008

MCHS basketball teams to compete in weekend road trip

Moffat County High School's Angie Charchalis competes in a previous game against Palisade. The Bulldogs compete in a road game tonight against Steamboat Springs High School.

By John Vandelinder

February 15, 2008

Moffat County boys at a glance:

Coach: Steve Maneotis

Record: 7-12 overall, 6-5 Western Slope League

Streak: won 2

Points per game: 56.5

Opposition ppg: 64.7

Leading scorer: Chayton Owens 16.7 ppg

Keys to victory:

• Defense. Maneotis said Moffat County will have to play strong defense across the board against a high-powered Sailors squad.

• Patience. The Bulldogs have won six of its last seven games and Maneotis said being patient in their offense is why the team has been successful as of late.

• Turnovers. Maneotis said limiting turnovers has been the focus in practice this week. If the Bulldogs can keep the turnovers down, Maneotis said he believes Moffat County will have a successful weekend.

Moffat County girls at a glance:

Coach: Craig Mortensen

Record: 17-3 overall, 10-1 Western Slope League

Streak: won 9

Points per game: 63.3

Opposition ppg: 33.5

Leading scorer: Angie Charchalis 17.8 ppg

Keys to victory:

• Offense. Mortensen said it's simple: score more points than the opposition and Moffat County will have a successful weekend.

• Defense. Mortensen said if the Bulldogs defend well and stay out of foul trouble, the team should sweep Steamboat and Battle Mountain.

• Have fun. Moffat County has three games remaining in the regular season, and Mortensen said he wants the girls to enjoy the time they have left together.

Craig — Three games to go in the regular season.

The Moffat County High School boys and girls basketball teams are traveling to compete at Steamboat Springs and Battle Mountain beginning today, and both team have their eyes firmly planted on the playoffs.

Today, MCHS visits the Steamboat Sailors. Saturday, the Bulldogs compete at Battle Mountain.

Boys

For the boys team, 6-5 in league play, coach Steve Maneotis said he knows what's at stake for his team.

"We've got to maintain the consistency we've had lately," he said of the team winning six of seven games to vault into the fourth and final playoff spot in the league. "We are a different team than last time we played these two teams. We know what to expect from one another now. We have a better understanding of what we do as a team. If we continue to do the right things, we'll be sitting pretty come the end."

Moffat County lost to Steamboat, 53-38, the last time the teams met, and defeated Battle Mountain, 71-69, in their first meeting.

The Sailors are 11-0 in league play, the Huskies are 1-9.

"We beat (Battle Mountain) last time in a close game," Maneotis said. "We can't have a let-down game against them this time. We have to play a strong four quarters."

Girls

The girls team faces two teams in the Sailors and Huskies that have three league wins combined between them.

Moffat County (10-1 in league play) sits in first-place in the league, but coach Craig Mortensen said despite his team having more wins than the opposition, he's treating these games like they have playoff implications.

"We are so close to the playoffs that we are approaching these games like they are already here," he said. "We want to do some of the things we will do in the postseason irregardless of who we are playing. That's the key for us."

Moffat County beat Steamboat by 43 points the last time the teams met, and defeated the Huskies by 49.

"I don't think much has changed since last time we played them," Mortensen said. "If we play our game - and knock on wood - everybody stays healthy, we will be fine when the weekend is over."